Hundreds of Irvine residents gathered at the Quail Hill trailhead on April 13 to celebrate the city’s renowned parks and open spaces, enjoying a pancake breakfast and guided hike along the scenic Quail Hill Loop Trail. The city-sponsored event showcased not only the beauty of Irvine’s landscape but also the city’s ongoing commitment to enhance and preserve its natural environments.  “It was more than luck that preserved these spaces and paved the way for our nationally acclaimed park system and extended trail network,” Mayor Farrah Khan told the crowd. “It was and continues to be the resu ..read more

Over 1,000 students and their families packed Segerstrom Concert Hall on Tuesday for one of Irvine Unified School District’s longest-standing traditions: the annual Donald Bren Honors Concert. “This means the world to us,” Loraine Gesk said after watching her daughter Naomi play the harp on the same stage where greats like Yo-Yo Ma and Tony Bennett once performed. “I could feel the joy, the pride and the warmth of the community coming together tonight. It’s phenomenal!” Before the first note was struck, parents lined the grand entrance, clutching bouquets of flowers to celebrate their children ..read more

Four Irvine Unified School District schools have earned the state’s highest honor for high-achieving campuses. Jeffrey Trail Middle School, South Lake Middle School, Venado Middle School and Northwood High School were recently named 2024 California Distinguished Schools. The statewide program recognizes schools that demonstrate exemplary achievements in student performance, well-being and test scores. This year, 293 high schools and middle schools were honored through the Distinguished Schools Program, which was first established in 1985 and is overseen by the California Department of Educatio ..read more

Since its debut in 1988, The Market Place has inspired millions of shoppers with its top lifestyle brands and one-of-a-kind dining experiences. Yet the stylish retail center, hailed as an “OC landmark,” is part of a larger mixed-used district that helps drive the city’s economy. Combined with adjoining office and apartment-home communities, The Market Place stands out as a true live‑work‑play experience. “We master planned shopping and dining destinations adjacent to resort-style apartment communities and premium office space,” says Irvine Company Senior Vice President Jeff Davis. “All these ..read more

Irvine Spectrum District is a dynamic job hub, and vital to its success is the strategy to get workers to the office each day. Spectrum apartment communities create the proximity to walk to work. Adjacent villages are a short bike ride away. And for others, there is SpectruMotion – America’s most successful alternative-transportation program. SpectruMotion began in 1985 when the city of Irvine and Irvine Company conceived of a novel idea: a transportation management association, funded by employers, to reduce the flow of traffic into the city. It was the first of its kind in America. “We’re a ..read more

The Grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet, renowned for their profound interpretations of classical and contemporary music, will make a stop at Irvine Barclay Theatre on April 11 to perform the final installment of their “Doppelgänger” series. We asked the members about their upcoming show. What’s the inspiration behind “Doppelgänger”? It is closely related to our ‘Prism’ project, where we juxtaposed late Beethoven quartets with Bach and contemporary pieces. The starting point of ‘Doppelgänger’ is the late chamber music works by Schubert. This time around, we decided to match the old master p ..read more

A 1.7-mile stretch of Barranca Parkway and Harvard Avenue will be transformed into a public park for a one-day festival celebrating open spaces and exercise. CicloIrvine will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4, as the city’s first “open streets” event allowing pedestrians and cyclists to use a major thoroughfare free of motor vehicles. CicloIrvine aims to promote community building, along with the benefits of active mobility and eco‑friendly transportation. “CicloIrvine is an opportunity for us as a city and community to explore ways to come together and enjoy walking and biking our streets ..read more

The recent Bass Pro opening was a community gathering event that will go down in Irvine retail history. Thousands of residents arrived hours early to celebrate the store’s opening with country music, selfies with race cars and an extra dose of community camaraderie. When the doors finally opened, most stood in awe, wondering which direction to start their journey in this 140,000-square-foot outdoor-lover’s paradise. “I hadn’t expected this at all,” said Cody Costello, who’d never been in a Bass Pro Shop before. “Let’s call it a 10-out-of-10 experience. I fully plan to go home broke tonight.” T ..read more

They met as students at UC Irvine. After graduating, they moved to Seattle, but could not wait to return to Irvine. After starting a family, MohammedAli and Jessica Un Hye Merchant discovered what Jessica calls the “perfect fit” in Eastwood Village. Their brand-new, five-bedroom home comes with ample room for their children, ages 6 and 2, and room for a garden where the Merchants grow tomatoes and peppers. It’s also walking distance from Eastwood Elementary School, where their 6-year-old son is enrolled, and an easy jog to the Hicks Canyon and Jeffrey Open Space trails, where Jessica loves to ..read more

Johanna Faries, Blizzard’s pick for its new president, stepped into her job in early February, taking the helm of the multibillion-dollar gaming giant. Faries, 37, previously worked in Santa Monica, as general manager for Activision’s “Call of Duty.” Before that, she spent nearly 12 years at another male bastion: the National Football League, serving as vice president of club business development. Her new office at Blizzard is part of Irvine’s “Gamer’s Gateway,” a thriving hub of a global video game industry with total annual revenues of nearly $200 billion. Blizzard, Bandai Namco Holdings and ..read more